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'E'XTENV'SIBLE VESTIBULE FOR USE IN LOADING REPRIGERATOR GARS.

No. 5145923. Patented Feb. 2o, 1894.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2. GARDNER. EXTENSIBLB VESTIBULB FOR USE IN LOADING REPRIGERATOR GARS ELC (No Model.)

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UNiTD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE C. GARDNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND n GUSTAVUS F. SWIFT, OF SAME PLACE.

EXTENSIBLE VESTIBULE FOR USE IN LOADING REFRlGERATOR-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,923,dated February 20, 1894.

Application filed April 10.1893. Serial No. 469,842. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HORACE C. GARDNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extensible Vestibules for Use in Loading Refrigerator-Cars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the. accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a'vertical cross section through the vestibule and a portion of a warehouse and car; and Fig. .2 is a horizontal section of the same.

Heretofore in loading refrigerator cars with dressed beef it has been customary to switch the car to be loaded on a side-track near the platform of the cold-storage warehouse in which the beef is stored, and to carry .the beet' from such warehouse across the platform to the car. beef itself is not only exposed to the atmosphere, but the car and lwarehouse are also more or less warmed, as they arel also exposed. The advantages of reducing the temperature of the refrigeratorcar, as is customary, are

thereby destroyed to a great extent.

My invention has for its object to provide means whereby` not only the beef itself but also the car to be loaded and the warehouse may be protected from the external atmosphere during the process of loading. I accomplish this object as hereinafter specified and as illustrated in the drawings.

That which I regard as new will be setforth in the claims. I

In the drawings,3 indicates a portion of a cold-storage warehouse, of which tindicates one of the walls and 5--6 the doors.

7 indicates the door-way. v 8 indicates an extensible vestibule covering, which is arranged around all sides of the door-way 7. The vestibule 8 consists of a vbest shown inFig. 2.

By this method of procedure the read ily extensible. I do not wish to limit myself, however, to a covering 10 made of the materials mentioned, as any other suitable non-conducting materials'may be used.

Theface-plate l1 carries on its face a covering 12, of felt or other suitable material, to adapt it to make a tight connection with the side of a car.

. 13 indicates a portion of a car, of which 14 indicates one of the sides and 15-16 the doors. The face-plate 1l is adapted to fit around the doorof the car to insulate it from external air.

The vestibule 8 is extended or retracted by means of screws 17-18 arranged at opposite sides of the door-way 7, which screws are connected to the face-plate ll by links 19, as The screws 17 are adapted to be moved in or out by hand-wheels 2O mounted thereupon, as shown in Fig. 2. By this construction the face-plate 11 may be pressed firmly into contact with the sides of the car, thereby insuringa perfectly tight connection.

In using my improved vestibule, the car is switched until its door lies opposite the door of the warehouse, and then the vestibule is moved tightly into contact with the side of the car around its door, when the doors are opened and the car may be loaded.

The term warehouse as herein used should be understood to apply to any coldstorage room.

That which I claim as my invention, and

desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a warehouse, of an insulated extensible vestibule arranged around the door-way and adapted to be extended into contact with a car, and mechanism for extending said vestibule, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a warehouse, of an extensible insulated covering arranged around the door-way thereof, means for extending said covering to move it into contact with the side of a car or other receptacle to be loaded, and a face-plate carried by said coveringadapted to it closely against said car, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a warehouse, of

an extensible vestibule arranged around the roo doorwaythereof and capable of beingbrought ceptacle to be loaded, prior to opening the into Contact with the side of the car or other doors of the Warehouse or car, substantially Io receptacle to be loaded, substantially as deas described. scribed. 5 4. The combination with a warehouse, of HORACE C GARDNER' an extensible vestibule arranged around the Witnesses: doorway thereof and capable of beingbroughb FRANK J. LEONARD, into contact with the side of aoar or other re- A. G. BLACKFORD. 

